By Eugene Kyne

Sunday, September 24

2:30 p.m.: SF A Semifinal Kerry vs. Cavan

A REPEAT of the finals of the last two years, it still has the same meaning to the clubs involved despite the fact that it is one round earlier.

Kerry has some new personnel since last year’s championship winning game, with Bingo Driscoll and Dave McCarthy gone. They have been replaced by players with a serious amount of ability.

Dan Doona was on the Kerry panel two years ago and when on form and kept on top of the square he is unstoppable. Eoghan Lawler is back at center half - he was there in 2004 - and he is anchoring a brilliant defense. Alan O’Sullivan and Ross Donovan are runners who love to carry the ball.

Of course the mainstays are still there. Pa Murphy, Niall Corbett, Derek Riney and Anthony Glacken make scoring difficult for any forward. Glacken has come on in leaps and bounds and is certainly up there with the mainstays in ability.

Paddy Kearney is the captain of the ship on the line and the big man may seem robust to some. He keeps his comments from the line brief and to the point and it works.

If the county final was played on Christmas Day, Cavan would have by far the biggest panel available. They are home-based practically at all positions. Eugene O’Hagan, Francie Sheridan and Mark Dobbins are riding on the wave of their Junior A championship with Down.

Paddy Smyth, Brian Newman and Kevin Lilly are all scoring forwards. Newman is back at a level that he had with Meath in 2004, with ball winning capabilities and holding of the ball second to none in New York right now.

Do they have enough to knock off the current county champions? Success breeds success. There are reasons that Kilkenny, Kerry, the Yankees, Man U and the rest have their titles. They don’t accept defeat.

Kerry is on a trip to a shot at equaling Donegal’s record of three in a row in this decade. A repeat of the result in the final last year is on the cards here. A little closer this time, but still the same result.

4 p.m.: SF A Semifinal Leitrim vs. Four Provinces

LEITRIM started the year with a plan in hand. To dethrone the champions and win their first title since the 1990s.

They stacked up with winter signings, the Mitchell brothers, Robbie Moran, Martin Slowey, Sean Munnelly, et al. They drafted wisely, with Noel McPartland, Alan Foley and John Walsh. Add these players to Kenny O’Connor, Aidan Power and Paul Murray and it is a county lineup in New York.

Word on the street — and agreed with here — is that Power is having a player of the year season. He has found his niche at full back, and it says a lot when you move James Mitchell from that spot and improve. Matt Mitchell is also having a tremendous year, and his absence against Roscommon in the Connacht game will surely be rectified against Galway in the FBD encounter.

Big Kenny O’Connor is settled in at full forward, and his trademark punched point is something that all forwards should look to use. With all that talent are they in the final already?

Hold on now! There is a little matter of the boys from Philly.

These lads arrived at number three and they have some pretty capable players themselves. Their strength is their 60 day sanctions, perhaps the best that came to this side of the water this year.

Michael Anderson averaged five points a game from play on the 40. Leo Meenan took over the free taking and came off the Derry panel in Ireland. Add in man of the match from the aforementioned Roscommon game Adrian McCarran and it shows the ability of the forward line.

One player who drifts from game to game but when on song is perhaps the best of the lot, Liam O’Donnell. Best maybe to allow him to take a few frees as well, because it seems to settle him and then his open game improves. He can explode for scores.

It should be a fantastic game and one that may go into extra time. The Leitrim boys should prevail with the slimmest of margins between the teams in a high scoring contest.